What’s a Mom to Do? Preventing Early Puberty and Hormone Problems in Our Daughters

As a mom of 3 daughters, and a young granddaughter, I am concerned about our girls’ reproductive health. I’d like to share why.

For years scientists have disagreed whether early puberty was really an emerging phenomenon. Now there’s no doubt. Girls are getting their periods earlier. Many about a year earlier, according to a 2007 article in the Journal of Adolescent Health. But a study published in Pediatrics in 2011 found that in the United States, 15% of American girls begin puberty by age 7. Their breasts are starting to grow at a younger age, too. Black and Latinas girls are the most affected, but it is happening in all populations.

“Some girls get their period as young as 8,” begins a section for mothers on the Kotex U Brand website. Kotex initially spent over $23 million in research and development to target their new young consumer group.

Some doctors are calling this the “new normal,” according to Science News. But there is nothing normal about it and many physicians and scientists are quite alarmed. And even if your daughter isn’t showing signs of early puberty, she may still be exposed to the factors that cause it – so please read on…

It’s not just that having your period in second grade, or your breasts develop in kindergarten really sucks for all of the obvious social and emotional reasons. It’s also a sign that something is seriously wrong in our daughters’ endocrine (hormonal) systems. They are getting “hormonally hot-housed.” Endocrine disruption can increase our daughters’ risk of developing hormonally related cancers later in life. It also increases a girl’s risk of sexual harassment and abuse, early sexual involvement, and risk-taking behaviors. She might be seen as, and potentially act, more sexually mature than she actually is psychologically and emotionally.

There is little mystery underlying this increased rate of early puberty. Medical problems that cause it such as congenital adrenal hyperplasia, disorders of the gonads (ovaries in girls, testes in boys) or adrenal glands, McCune-Albright syndrome, or hormone-secreting tumors are exceptionally rare.

The 3 biggest contributors to early puberty are:

1. Obesity: About 20% or more of US kids are now obese. This rate has tripled in the past 30 years, and this trend corresponds to earlier puberty.

2. Exposure to environmental toxins that act as estrogen in the body: Many substances used in flame retardant fabrics, cosmetics, plastics, pesticides, detergents and other common household and industrial products can mimic the effect of estrogen in our bodies. The CDC has linked a solvent used in some mothballs and solid blocks of toilet bowl deodorizers and air fresheners to earlier menstruation – they also found it in the bodies of nearly all the people tested in the U.S.! It doesn’t take much exposure to cause health effects, which may include increased risk of early puberty, diabetes, and cancer. These environmental chemicals accumulate over time and because they accumulate and are stored in fat cells, may be even more of a problem for overweight girls.

3. Stress: Stress can wreak havoc on the endocrine system. And most of us suffer from stress starting at any earlier age than ever. Inadequate sleep, school pressures, stress at home, peer pressure and bullying are just a few of the major stressors to which our girls are regularly exposed. Stress can also make us fatter; more fat means more estrogen and this can lead to earlier puberty.

While government, food companies, and industry also need to tackle these issues on a global scale, the factors leading to early puberty and endocrine disruption in our daughters can be prevented or mitigated through the diet and lifestyle choices we make and teach them.

How to Prevent Early Puberty and Hormone Problems

Prevent/Reduce Obesity

Cut out the soda and juice completely! (Water is the best beverage)

Cut portion sizes in half

Do your best to eliminate bread, pasta, potatoes and white rice from the diet: emphasize good quality proteins and vegetables as the mainstay of their diets

Cut the amount of TV watching in half (and adding exercise will make this even better!)

Make sure you are doing all of these things yourself – our kids model what they see more than what we say!

Encourage your pre-girls to avoid cosmetics , and if they are going to use them, go natural. It’s more expensive in the short run, but the health price tag is much lower over time! See the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep website for information on safe cosmetic options.

Get your daughter a glass water bottle – Life Factory makes them in bright colors, a variety of sizes, with plain and even “sippy” and “straw” tops, and they are dishwasher safe and virtually indestructible. All my daughters have one. Encourage her to avoid drinking out of plastic bottles whenever possible.

Avoid plastic wrapped foods and plastic food containers for reheating and storing hot foods as much as possible.

Eat organic whenever possible, especially dairy and meat products, which accumulate environmental contaminants and are more likely to accumulate hormones and antibiotics used in the production process. See the Environmental Working Group’s “dirty dozen” for the “must avoid” if not organic list.

Stress-Proof Your Daughter

Teach your daughter to get help from a teacher and to come to you if there are peer stressors at school or bullying.

Encourage your daughter to join a school or after school sport, dance class, or other physical activity which is enjoyable for her.

Reduce exposure to TV violence.

Teach simple meditation or relaxation skills to be done before bedtime, exams, or in a stressful situation. Simply breathing in and saying, “I am” on the inhale, and “At peace” on the exhale 4 times in a row, or “counting to 10” with deep breathing can make a difference!

Talk to Your Daughter – A Lot and About Everything You Can to Help Her Understand Her Body

We’ve gotta’ take the stigma out of puberty so we can talk openly with our daughters and help them feel comfortable in their bodies no matter what.

If your daughter has a medical condition or other reasons that she’s already gone through puberty, it’s super important to talk with her about what’s going on, and help her feel comfortable.

Obese should also not be the new norm. Neither should early puberty. If we’re so worried about not making them self-counsios about their weight to the point that we don’t teach them how to eat well, we’re doing them a major disservice. There’s a difference between healthy food consciousness and awareness about best food choices, healthy serving sizes, and being fit, and being food and body neurotic.

We can teach our daughters the healthiest possible habits from their earliest years -especially by modeling these ourselves — without giving them food phobias and eating disorders! This means walking our talk.

Let’s start talking with our daughters today, and taking care of ourselves in ways that model self love, self care, and best health — so that they can emerge into womanhood confident and without preventable risks of long term emotional and health problems.

With love,

P.S. I’ve got a gift for you!!! Get my FREE Ebook, Herbal Medicines for Kids. To receive your copy, click here. In one easy step it will be delivered to your inbox.

I am concerned that there are so many moms on here trying to stop or reverse puberty in their daughters. I understand the concern but it is important to realize there is a strong genetic component (from both mother and father) that effects age of onset. I’ve read that a normal age range is between 10 and 16 with the ‘average’ being 12 and the vast majority happening 2 years before or after age 12.

My daughter started at 10 and a half. Mine own period also started at age 10, so despite environmental toxins, that seems to be a normal start for her. An early onset of a few months or even a year is hardly worth panicking about. That said, It is always a good idea to live a healthy lifestyle and avoid toxins, so I will take these recommendations into consideration.

My daughter Angelica started her menstruation a week before her 10th birthday as did I when I was 10. I tried to prevent it with herbs and diet but I guess it was inevitable. She is blessed with confidence and very active. however it does make me a little sad that she is a little girl in a woman’s body. She is also mature beyond her years mentally

Aviva, thank you for adding this comment. I have followed the suggestions in your article since my daughter was a baby. Despite that, she appears to be experiencing a much earlier puberty than I did, by about 3 years. I was feeling a little heartsick about it. Appreciate your reassurance.
While I realize there are environmental factors outside of my control that will doubtless affect her, I don’t want her to feel broken or that she is damned to breast cancer as a result of early puberty.
Appreciate all your wonderful posts!

My daughter was 11 going on 12 when she got her period and had been menstruating every 3 weeks at one stage, and also developed a strong odour under her arms. After finding Carolyn Dean’s website I have her taking 2 Magnesium Choride tablets each weekday morning with a teaspoon of Chlorophyll in a glass of water. Both are good at removing toxins from the body and purifying the blood. We also eat really well through the week with night meals being meat and salad or veges, but I don’t deprive her of some treats on the weekend. Since starting the above routine, her body odour has gone and her periods have stopped at the moment. So I am happy about that as I was 15 when I got my periods.

Denielle,
that’s wonderful that you were able to stall puberty until a later date. I wish you’ll read this and give a little more information, it’ll be greatly appreciated.

How’d you come up with this combo? I can’t find any specific info on Mg Cl and chlorophyll for precocious puberty on Dr Dean’s site.
What brand of Mg Cl are you using? how many mgs per tablet?
which brand of chlorophyll?
Did you build the dose up slowly?
Have you seen any other benefits? were there any adjustment side effects? (changes in stools/sleep/ etc?
How long have you been giving these?
Thanks so much for sharing this.

I Gave my daughter 1 tsp of magnesium citrate Powder mixed in warm water and 1 tsp of flaxseed powder everyday since last 4 months mixed with a fruit smoothie. I think there is no progress in breast development after that. Another thing is her DHEA result came 100 down. Before it was 268 and now it is 165.

Hi my daughter is 7and half i just realised abt 2’3 weeks ago her breast is start gtowing its so so scary iam panking like sny thing dr sais have to test znd then stary medicine in month time but i cant wait fir month pls pls iwondet if u could sugest snything i can do i read ad said turn to organic but can v usr ftoxen organic ? Is there anything else that I can do . Pls thanks vry much.

This is a subject near and dear to my heart. I have 3 daughters, ages 21, 17, and 9. Last year all 3 of them developed endocrine issues, so I focused my life on supporting them and getting them healthier. My oldest developed a huge ovarian tumor that required surgery and she lost an ovary and tube. The docs initially thought it was cancer, but we got lucky. My 17 year old developed thyroid issues, and my cute little, then -8 year old started to develop breasts, even though she is tall and skinny.

I instantly changed our diet over to about 95% organic. We had been mostly organic, but I let a lot of areas slide… We also live in an area of extremely high pesticide use, and while we couldn’t afford to sell our home and move, it does worry me a lot. I switched to natural cleaners, and got rid of anything made with lavender, as that is also known to mimic hormones. We then cut all soy out of our food sources, which isn’t too hard when you are making everything from scratch, but the use of soy is insidious. It’s hard to even find organic chocolate without soy in it!

It was a lot of time to cook completely homemade, but with planning ahead and doing a lot of baking on the weekends, I survived and learned how to make really tasty things at home like granola bars and bagels.

After 6 months of this strictness, I took the 8 year old back to the endocrinologist and she was shocked and surprised that the breast changes my daughter had had, were actually reversed! I really believe the soy was the biggest culprit, (as well as the environmental influences that couldn’t be changed). I have always been very focused on nutrition and buying in bulk from a co-op to make all our bread, etc.,so the soy was the biggest change. It’s really scary how much garbage is snuck into our food that is unhealthy!

Thanks for bringing this topic to attention. Every time I see a little girl who is starting puberty, I just want to grab the Mom and help her stop that now with diet and reducing environmental influences. It’s sad that many don’t blink an eye at the craziness of these little children developing adult bodies at such a young age.

I am very interested in your comments and would love to ask you some more questions about your experiences. My daughter is 8 and showing signs of puberty already which has greatly alarmed me. We have had quite a lot of soy in our diet over the years as she does not get on well with dairy products and as I read more have begun to become more aware of the negative impact this can have. Please let me know how I can get in touch directly. thanks

Hi Keene, we have a 9 year Daughter, she start to develop breast, we have been organic for 4
years now, have never consume soy. We raise our own meat and eggs & grind our flower from spelt berries. what did you do to reverse breast develop in your daughter? I think we will go to an naturopath, any suggestion will be appreciated.

hi judith,
i’d see if there are any underlying causes first or whether she is just naturally an early bloomer….reversing it is usually a matter of decreasing systemic estrogen and any exposures (ie BPA in plastics). best wishes! aviva

Any estrogen in the circulation — whether your produced it or environmentally. Processed soy should be entirely eliminated; however, plant based estrogens, including from fermented organic soy, can actually block the effects of environmental and normally produced estrogen, acting protectively. These can be gotten from many different legumes and green leafy veggies like kale and broccoli.

HI
My 9 year old daughter is showing some changes. THanks you for your comments on soy. SHe has been tested and found to have a herbicide affecting her that we have started homeopathic medicine to remove. Cross fingers it will helpp
Also she was affected by the radiation from the neighbour;’s cordless landline and wifi so we asked them to remove them

Thanks Keene..my daughter is 8 yrs old and started having pubic hair..really worried.
Dr. said cant help as its natural..but I dont want to giveup…thanks for sharing ur experience…it boosts me..nw will take care of her diet..

Thank you for this post. I have an 8 year old daughter who, thankfully, is still childlike. But it’s scary to know that puberty is coming early to our girls. I appreciate the helpful tips you offer to help those who may be dealing with this and not just fear-mongering as I have seen on other websites. Looking forward to your pediatric course in the future.

The problem of obesity also stems from the amount of processing in our foods. Eating healthy, homegrown foods, I believe, helps cut down on the antibiotics/hormones/etc. that’s added to processed foods, which directly affects our bodies.

Thank you for posting this, Aviva! This past year, our daughter (age 6), began developing breast buds. It was alarming and unsettling to us and confusing for her. Thankfully, they reverted back to normal, but both we and her doctors are still left scratching our heads as to what caused it. After several tests, her endocrinologist could only conclude that she was exposed to something environmentally that eventually resolved itself, although we never determined what it was. We live a natural and organic lifestyle, yet, something she was exposed to still caused it temporarily, which is so scary. If we are being so careful and this still happened, it scares me to think what is happening across the board with young girls who are getting exposed daily to environmental estrogens. Thank you for all that you do to support us parents, Aviva! I value your insight and always enjoy reading your posts! 🙂

Yes, there has even been some question about whether some of our uber natural products that are loaded with lavender oils can cause this with longterm exposure, because the essential oils are mildly estrogenic. I wrote a letter to the New England Journal which was published some years ago, discrediting the case reports they published which led to numerous articles on the dangers of lavender oil, but it is something to keep in mind.

Thank you so much for this information! Although I was a “late bloomer” myself and my daughters have been closer to the average for their menarch, I found lots of helpful information here and more that I can do to support them.

Thank you for this post, Aviva!!! I agree 100% with your take on this problem, and I’m concerned about this issue for both my sons and my daughters!

Something else to consider, I think, is the problem of hormones (specifically estrogen) in the tap water as a result of the high usage of artificial birth control. These hormones are not bioidentical and are designed not to biodegrade, and they aren’t eliminated by our water treatment plants. It’s been documented that these hormones are causing reproductive mutations in fish and reptiles, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this is also linked to hormonal issues in humans as well. This kind of pollution should be a cause for public action…but I don’t hear the outcry!

By all means, drink water, but make sure it’s pure – get a high-powered filtration system or opt for spring water (not city water that’s been purified).

Hi Aviva,
I have three sons and one daughter. My daughter is almost 5. I am very concerned that she might start puberty early since this seems to be the trend. I won’t know if I am doing the right things until she has already entered puberty. I started menses when I was 11, the summer before 6th grade and that was somewhat early for someone born in 1975. My family’s diet was a typical American diet back in those days, not too many fresh fruits and vegetables. I drank soda and my favorite food was Doritos. Obviously my ways have changed or I wouldn’t be reading your blog (reading breastfeeding books after my 1st son was born started the journey). I first found you through your pregnancy book (at the end of my 1st pregnancy) which was a great help to me, particularly in my last two pregnancies, my first two were c-sections and my last two were homebirths. I used your advice regarding mothers with gestational diabetes to grow normal sized babies for my body(never diagnosed with GD, passed all those tests)…my first two were 9, 2 and 10, 7. My last two babies were 7, 14 and 7, 7. I wish you would talk more in depth about optimal nutrition for families and how to provide this on a practical, day to day basis. I loved your nutritional advice and recipes in the postpartum book and would love to see something like that specific to families and children. I do have your children’s health book but as much as I like it, the nutritional part seems a bit vague. Growing up as I did (little value placed on the experience of eating food and its importance to health), sometimes I need the basics spelled out. Also, I would really like to hear your thoughts about the role of dairy in the diet. My children do consume grass-fed, organic milk (with cereal and in baked goods) and cheese (not always organic). I am worried that even organic dairy may be contributing to the early onset of puberty in girls but I won’t know if this is a concern for my daughter and her genetics until it is too late. I have read lots of pro-vegan books in the last 2 or 3 years (started with The Kind Diet and went from there, didn’t know what I was getting into with that book) and this is where my concern started.

I hear your concern– it’s hard to know what to do with the dairy question. We actually did not give our kids much dairy when they were growing up other than organic yogurt. We didn’t restrict it, but it wasn’t part of our diet at home. We never gave them milk with the exception of my son, who, when he hit his double digits, started asking for it. So I trusted his body and gave it to him. The girls never asked for it. My son, btw, is 6’3″ — I’m 5’3 and my husband, his dad, is only 5’6 so he clearly had the tall gene AND knew what he needed for that extra growth. If you do give your kids dairy, organic is really essential and it’s where I’d say paying the extra food price is worth it. I definitely do not recommend milk as a beverage for any kids. Warmly, Aviva

Thank you, Aviva. Another great blog post. I think everyone should also know that they can check cosmetics and many other personal products such as lotions and sunscreens on this site http://safecosmetics.org/article.php?list=type&type=34 and that there are also plenty of alternatives.

I love this blog; I have a seven year old great-granddaughter that looks like a thirteen year old and a ten year old great-granddaughter that started her period. I make natural skin care products and try to tell the two mothers that they should use and to eat more natural organic products.

I work with a large cosmetics company and have been frustrated with generalized comments about “natural” products because often times claims are made without facts to back them up. When facts are presented and researched I find them highly misleading or vague. I would love if you have specifics accompanied by research that I can look into because we are a Chiropractic family and are very conscientious about what we put into our bodies. Thank you for your research and work!

Hi Amy
I am starting the research for an article on natural cosmetics. Likely will be more of an on-going series. It’s a huge issue. Women eat something like a bazillion pounds of lipstick in their lifetime. And some of those lipsticks have toxic heavy metals INCLUDING LEAD (!!!) in them! More to come! In the meantime, we have to be vigilant label readers! And here’s a resource http://safecosmetics.org/section.php?id=33

My husband and I are pretty concerned about this topic. Our 6.5 year old daughter has excessive hair on her arms and a bit more than I think is usual for girls on her back and legs. Our diet is vegan and almost completely organic. We have an appointment soon with a pediatric endocrinologist in hopes to find out if there are any underlying health issues, or if our daughter simply has more hair than most other girls because her father is pretty hairy for a man. Needless to say, whatever the cause, the potential social and emotional effects on my daughter is a big deal. Aviva, might you have any suggestions or specific questions that you would recommend I be sure to ask the endocrinologist at the appointment? I appreciate your work and efforts to share your research, experience, and encouragement with all of us.

Hi Jenny
Hopefully it’s just hereditary and then you can work on ways to help manage the social/emotional issues for her. And also maybe find some smartie pants momma ways to help with the hair. As a doc I see kids get brought for appointments for being too short — but the mom and dad are both short too! So these things do happen. Thanks dad! 🙂

It sounds like you’ve got a good handle on it. So the only thing I’d recommend it just making sure the doc is kind and doesn’t say anything stigmatizing in front of your daughter (communication etiquette is not something every doctor picks up real well in medical training!) and also make sure any tests ordered are necessary — just ask the doc — IS that really necessary and what are you testing for? You can be nice about it so his/her back doesn’t go up that your challenging him/her. And then if there IS a diagnosis of a condition (which hopefully and likely there won’t be!) then do your homework and/or get an extra opinion if any hormone treatments are recommended. Hope this helps and best wishes!

Thanks, Aviva, for your feedback. My daughter had her appointment this past Thursday and the doctor was as kind as we could hope for (it may have helped that I’d written her a small note to be read before hand letting her know that this is an embarrassing issue for my child and gently requested her sensitivity and discretion). After asking several pertinent questions, the doctor did a visual check of various parts of my daughter’s body and with all of that, felt – as you’d expressed it likely would be – that her excess hair is hereditary (thanks a lot, dad, indeed!). A few blood tests were ordered just to rule out for sure any hormonal stuff and we’ll get the results from those soon. Needless to say, we all feel encouraged by the doctor’s “general” diagnosis and we’ll see what becomes of those blood tests. Thank you again for your recommendations, Aviva.

Thanks for the timely information. I have 5 daughters (ages 10, 8, 6, 4, and 2) and this has been a concern of mine. Your tips are so simple and easy to implement! My girls all have a normal BMI, and we’ve made a drastic cut in the amount of animal protein we consume. I’ve heard that soy products can also cause problems with the endocrine system. Dr. Romm, in your opinion is this something to be concerned about? My 2 year old drinks soy milk daily. I also have a 12 month old son (who currently consumes no soy), and I’ve heard that soy can cause problems with boys. What is your opinion? Thanks for all you do!

Hi Sarah,
I totally hear your concern. A lot of folks share this one. Enough so that I actually did an article about 10 years ago on soy for kids. I am in the process of gathering current data on soy safety for a blog which I will post sometime in the next few weeks (there’s a lot to re- research!). OVerall it’s definitely not something I recommend for daily consumption other than for some women in menopause who need the benefit of the estrogen, and I recommend only traditional use : miso, tempeh, tofu on occasion. More to come to address your concerns so stay tuned!

Looking forward to your thoughts on soy. I must admit to drinking a lot of it since cutting out milk. I’m peri-menopausal at the advanced age of 55! Ridiculous, I know. I do stick to the organic soy only.

More to come on that in a soon-blog! In brief, it can go either way. Yes, it does bind with our own estrogen receptors, but it does so weakly so can be of benefit by competing with more toxic, stronger environmental and endogenous (the ones our bodies produces) estrogens so this can LOWER the load. Interesting eh? But soy is not the healthiest for everyone and it HAS TO BE organic….commercial soy is heavily pesticided.

It is very important to note that research has clearly pointed that precocious puberty is linked to our dietary choices. Animal protein consumption in the form of dairy, meat eggs etc is the main reason for obesity and the hormonal upheaval at all ages. But our nutrition syllabus continues to fool us whether it is at kindergarten level or later. I went to a regular school and graduated in Nutrition about twenty years ago and came out learning that milk is a complete food. It is no different today – only that advertisement industry is richer and stronger than ever before and dictates what we learn and teach.
Here are some links to research, please check them out:http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2012nl/apr/abuse.htmhttp://www.drmcdougall.com/newsletter/nov_dec97.html

Dr.Colin Campbell’s The China Study is an eye opener. I was raised as an ovo lacto vegetarian and was deeply conditioned to believing that it was the best diet – both by my family and professional colleagues and training. Time came to sort my own biases and look at the Scientific evidence on hand to give up on all animal foods once and for all, about four years ago.

When I say milk being complete food – mother’s milk IS the most complete food for a baby. But what what we learn at school is all about the milk of other species being good for humans. Which does not make much sense.

I think some of it has more to do with processed food and how animals are raised that are consumed. While I agree that we need to eat a lot more plants than animal products, there’s also research supporting the essential nature of some of those products. I’m thinking along the lines of Weston A. Price etc. Traditionally prepared foods are much better for our systems (fermenting, soaking, sprouting etc.). When we’re healing from the Standard American Diet, it makes sense to cleanse, to detox (which is often to avoid animal products, grains etc. due to gluten/digestive issues) but then later (if possible) to add back in some of those foods when they’re properly prepared.

Well said J. Marie. All of these studies are based on CAFO products, which are not healthy in any form. I was a soy milk baby, vegan for 10 years and ovo-lacto for another 10 and I was as unhealthy as I could get- constantly sick, constantly on asthma and allergy drugs, plus antibiotics, etc. The day I started following WAPF protocol, I had health for the first time in my life. Now I need to detox off of all the heavy metals I ingested through the meds & figure out how to help my 2 daughters who I swear are suffering for all those years of soy based diets. I was 12 and still hadn’t begun puberty. My 8 year old developed breast buds last week. I am scared to think of what my poor “health & ethical” choices have done to my daughter and their daughters also, now knowing that my dietary choices effect 3 generations.

The second link from Dr. McDougall gives a recipe for coconut cake which for a beginner could be very misleading. Cornstarch, soymilk and fresh papaya are almost always GMO foods unless certified organic which he doesn’t specify.
Soymilk is not a healthy food, it is highly processed besides being a GMO food. We were always told that Japanese women had less cancer because they ate soy foods, but the truth is that they ate fermented soy foods like miso, tempeh and tamari which are the healthy foods.
Soymilk especially for young girls is not a healthy choice, soy contains plant estrogens which still acts like estrogen in the body which probably does more harm than if they drank organic goat milk.
I agree with the Weston Price theory and the book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon which I live by.

Has anyone thought that girls aren’t going through puberty earlier, or that it isn’t a bad thing? With improved nutrition, maybe it is natural for girls to go through puberty earlier than they did in the 19th and 20th centuries. Maybe it is natural for girls to go through puberty as young as 7 years old.

Hi Britt, It’s definitely a bad thing no matter how you look at it. And it’s not natural. In communities where folks live naturally healthy lives it just doesn’t happen. It has to do with being OVERFED not well nourished. We do not, as a society, have improved nutrition. IN fact, this same generation of kids having earlier puberty is the first generation of kids in modern history with a life expectancy LOWER than their parents. Obesity is the biggest culprit. These kid will have more of it, more heart disease, and more cancer throughout their lives than any people in history. Not only diet, but the actual chemicals we’re exposed to can also cause diabetes. And earlier puberty = earlier estrogen exposure and this is definitely associated with increased breast and other cancers. Sorry for the bad news — but it’s what we are facing. Think about menses meant to be kicking in when girls are ready to be reproductive. That’s what biologically intended. Childbearing is fatal for 7 year olds!

I’m an IBCLC but don’t have current access to medical journals. I read an article some years back about this. For one thing, there are lower rates of obesity among people who were breastfeed. But they think there is more than that at play. An academic google search pulls up a lot of articles but I can only get to abstracts currently.

Hello Ladies,
I just found this website/blog. I breastfed my daughter until she was three years old and she is now eight years old and last week started showing breast buds on one side of her chest. I am crying inside and need help. I need a food plan. Please advise me on what I can do to reverse this. Please!

This is Megan from Dr. Aviva’s team. Thank you for your post and welcome!! There is so much that you can do to, the steps that Dr. Romm lists in her article are a good place to start and here is a direct link to an article that Aviva wrote that speaks to the many benefits of working with food and an elimination diet http://avivaromm.wpengine.com/elimination-diet. I hope this helps.

What about the affect of hormonal contraceptives? Surely parental and societal use of IUDs, the Pill and vast amounts of hormonal contraceptive byproducts in the drinking water have some role to play in this.

So true. I got an article from a medical journal in my inbox recently. The subject line read OCPs cause prostate cancer. First I thought well, silly men, if they’re taking a birth control pill what do they expect. Then I thought maybe it was a mistake. Then I realized it’s from the hormones women are peeing out getting into the water and ending right back in our drinking water. Super gross on so many levels when you think about it. Had all that in my longer version of this article but alas, try not to make the blogs TOO long! Will write more on it though! It’s been clearly associated with birth defects in male genitalia. Super sad. But we can fix that. IUDS, BTW, are available in 2 styles. One of them is hormone free!

Yes, shocking. Also, hormones are not always readily excreted. They can circulate thru the hepatic circulation a number of times before being processed out of our systems. Thus, their unwanted effects can be prolonged.

Thank you for this interesting blog – it is very timely for me. And, thank you for being a part of our family life! Your books have helped me with raising my two children. I am so grateful for that!!!

These three comments struck a cord with me: “Endocrine disruption can increase our daughters’ risk of developing hormonally related cancers later in life. It also increases a girl’s risk of sexual harassment and abuse, early sexual involvement, and risk-taking behaviors. She might be seen as, and potentially act, more sexually mature than she actually is psychologically and emotionally.”

My daughter breastfed until almost 3 yrs of age. Had a very clean diet – as organic as possible, follows her own food choices, has no weight issues, has been very healthy, we did not vaccinate like most folks and our water has always been filtered. That said we are still relaxed about food when we go to places other than our home. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that plastics have an impact on our hormones. That bit of information really concerned me.

At 9 yrs she started growing breasts, at 12 yrs she is a B cup, average height, very sensitive and emotionally immature, yet physically acts sexually mature. She’s not aware of the signals she is giving out with regards to how she moves her body, wants to fix her hair and with regard to the way she wants to dress. We have always homeschooled – radically unschooled if you will. With respectful parenting being our approach to our child-rearing.

However, she wants to dress in ways and she acts in ways that are inappropriate for her age. She wants to dress in ways that make her feel god about herself and is completely uninterested in sex at this point. My worry is that the kind of attention she will draw to herself (has drawn to herself), because of her appearance and manner, is dangerous. She is not aware of how she is being perceived by the opposite sex because she is not yet interested. She is interested in looking stylish, looking pretty and feeling good in her clothes. Yet her idea of stylish is sexy. Not what what she is ready for or what she is interested in.

Your comment above fits her to a T! “She might be seen as, and potentially act, more sexually mature than she actually is psychologically and emotionally.”

Now, how can I support her wanting to feel good in what she wears, yet keep her safe? This concerns me on more than one level. I want her to be safe and I want to respect her desire to feel good in her clothes. Yet she can’t even understand my concern. She’s just not “there” in her thinking yet.

Great post—I share your passion as I too now have a grandchild. Also, I have noticed so many of my patients with nail polish on their children–even as young as 6 months. When I tell parents that nail polish has phthalates in them and that when their children chew on their fingers, they are ingesting endocrine disruptors, they are shocked….it did not cross their mind. I also had a male pre-pubertal patient who developed breast buds—when we looked at products that were being used–he was using a shampoo (marketed to prevent lice infestation) that contained both lavender and tea tree oil–identified as endocrine disruptors in a NEJM study. We really need to get the word out to our patients.

hi beth
take a look at the nejm comments on that piece by my, kathi kemper, and paula gardiner. it’s interesting, because it could be related for sure, but those particular case studies were not convincing for the reasons we demonstrated. isn’t the grandma thing the best? just y-day i was nursing and homeschooling and making meals for my own kids and SNAP they grow up! but the little one… oh so fun! 🙂

Aviva, you mention to use glass water bottles in your article. I tend to use glass most of the time for food storage, but also have stainless steel and BPA free water bottles and containers. What is your take on the safety of stainless steel and BPA free materials? Are any plastics safe?

Having read this I believed it was really enlightening. I appreciate you spending some time and effort to put this
information together. I once again find myself personally spending a
lot of time both reading and posting comments. But so
what, it was still worth it!

My daughter is 8 1/2 yo and is showing growth signs like breast development and pubic hair. She was on soy formula from month 5 to month 14 when she was a baby. She was never obese and is ok now with 65lbs and 50 inches.
She was eating veggie burgers too often lately. After I saw the signs, we stopped eating outside and also stopped giving her energy bars. Is there anything I can do now to reduce the growth and delay the puberty. I am thinking of trying nutri blast for her. Do you think it would help?

Usually I would add a lot of leafy greens and 2 tbs flax seeds daily to the diet to help get rid of excess estrogen which is most likely the culprit. There is a formula called Breast Health by Pure Encapsulations that also helps with excess estrogen and I use in adults – have not tried with a little one but I would consider if I were treating…

Hello Aviva.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful article. .My daughter is 9 years old. And has started showing signs of puberty as in pubic and armpit hair. .I am so worried. .We are a very health conscious family. .I have breastfed my kids till about 2yrs.We are lacto vegetarian..avoid all junk outside food completely,minimum use of plastics,don’t use any cosmetics .My daughter is lean and tall and physically active. .In spite of all this I find she is reaching puberty early..don’t know what is going wrong. .The only culprit in our case can be milk and dairy products like ghee..(in India we use lots of clarified butter or ghee.traditionally it is supposed to be good for growing children. But I guess with all the adulteration of milk. .don’t know if its good for them now) .Can you suggestions any thing else for my case as to how I can prevent early puberty in my daughter??Thanks

Hello Dr Shah,
Some girls do mature earlier. so this may just be the case. It sounds like you are doing a great job raising a healthy daughter! Milk and dairy can lead to earlier puberty so cutting back might be wise. But this may also be just her body. I’d check with her pediatrician to see if there is any other reason for concern medically… WArm regards, Aviva

This is a nice post. Thanks for posting it. I don’t know if Obesity is the main cause of early puberty. My daughter started showing early growth symptoms when she was 8.5 yo. Doctors said it is normal. She is not obese, not even fat. I give her organic diary. She is vegetarian. She is very active. But still her growth is early for her age. I am thinking it might be the toxins from air. So, I want to go on the nutriblast diet with her to detox her body(I don’t know if I am using the right term) but I am not sure what her pediatrician is going to say about it.

hi Aviva, I was reading the questions posted by others and you suggested cutting down Milk. I do try to give more milk to my daughter, fat free milk.. at least two servings a day (1 serving is 10 oz of milk) + yogurt + occassional cheese. The reason I give her more milk is my mother in law, my husband’s sister have severe osteoperosis. My m-i-l was bed ridden for more than 20 years as her bones were like paper. (that is what the doctor told) So, should I cut down on her milk? How else can I get Calcium into her body? Another thing, my daughter takes multi vitamins with floride in it. Should I stop that?

hi there! interestingly, the countries with the highest intake of milk products have the highest rates of osteoporosis! sounds like more going on in the family than just lack of dairy intake. i’d find out WHY they have this osteoporosis – an absorption issues? a genetic issue? and i’d work with your daughter’s pediatrician to make sure she gets what she needs. as for fluoride, supplementation is only recommended when there is no fluoride in the water supply.
Best aviva,

I have read the latest research regarding the anti estrogen effects of flaxseed and the reductions of estrogen based breast cancer. I thought it may be possible to use for slowing down puberty. My dd is similar to hose mentioned in other posts. My question is do you think the flaxseed oil would work as well?

my daughter celebrated her 6th birthday in august.she weighs 25kgs.just a week ago i was shocked to find a few pubic hair while giving her a shower.im shocked.asked her ped .she told its normal but still im worried.plzzzzzzzzz help.what should i do?

hi devi
if you are concerned, you could always get a second opinion or see an endocrinologist, but likely your pediatrician has a good pulse on things. just keep an eye out for further development and if you see that , i’d definitely get further evaluation.
best wishes!
aviva

This seems more likely that the body would take stress as a signal to postpone reproductive years. stress could mean this is not a good time to have babies, there could be famine,
increased thread from predators, excess population -all reasons to keep the herd small.

The stress response may work both ways, depending on the type of stress involved.

The pineal gland is an often forgotten part of the endocrine system. Different kinds of stress appears to impact the pineal in opposite ways, and this gland has a direct effect on one’s estrogen levels and estrogen receptors, and thus effects the onset of puberty.

Some study (this was done a few years ago, I think–can’t seem to find it at the moment) done on mice showed an increase of pineal function in “nothing you can do about it” or “no win” situational stress. (They simulated this by holding the mice down immobile, with nothing they could do to free themselves.) Other types of stress seemed to reduce pineal action, on the contrary.

The pineal is thought to inhibit sexual maturity until puberty. Babies start producing a significant amount of melatonin (a pineal hormone) around month 3 (hense better sleep at that age), and all during childhood it is high. At puberty, the level drops markedly, to allow for sexual maturity. Studies show that high melatonin inhibits the production of estrogen and (perhaps an even bigger impact) reduces estrogen receptors so that even the estrogen that is circulating in the body has less of an impact. (Here’s a study: http://www.jbc.org/content/279/37/38294.long )

Lowered estrogen (or lowered estrogen action) does have a tendency to delay puberty in girls.

thnx for the post im so much concerned abt my daughter cos she just got 8, i have lots of questions hope ypu wont mind. what are other ways or food to clear access estrogen, to eliminate juice, is it the store brought juice or even the fresh one from home? which food has good quality proteins?what kind of diet plan should i follow as going organic totally is out of reach as i cant from where i live but i do buy organic as much as i can. about shampoos n makeup what do you suggest?
appreciate your help,
thnx 🙂

Hi. Thanks so much for this eye-opener! Is any of this related to bad body odor? And how does a parent know if it is early puberty or normal? My dd is 10 and has breasts and pubic hair but no period yet. I was 10 when I got mine. Also, have you done a post on boys?
Thanks again..

hi, Aviva. You mentioned that daily supplement with flaxseed and green leaf vegetable can help get rid of estrogen. Will it give kids longer time to grow in height? my daughter is 8 and she is developing her breast. I am worry about her final height.

hi sharon
I don’t know of any data that proves this to be so, but theoretically, if it slows down puberty, one might see this. i’d definitely talk with her pediatrician or family doc and see about getting bone growth measurements so you can check her status.
warmly, aviva

Hi, I am also a concerned mother because my daughter has some pubic hair when she was almost 4 yr old, and now is almost 5 yr old she has that same amount but more bigger and body odor during the summer. She is overweight, but always was from 3 or 4 months, now she is 25 kg and about 2 months she will be 5 years old. We have done her blood analysis and her hormones are Ok, note to mention we live in country where we do not have organic foods. I read above comments about flax seed and I have question (pardon my ignorance) are flax seeds lignans, and as I know Lignans are one of the major classes of phytoestrogens . Does phytoestrogens plays as body’s estrogen.

Hi Ania
This definitely requites that she see her pediatrician — and an endocrinologist. Very early puberty like this can lead to problems with bone development and may indicate other underlying issues. The phytoestrogens can help reduce the impact of the body’s natural estrogens, as well as environmental exposures — but this does not substitute for a proper medical workup for your daughter. Best wishes! Aviva

Thank you for this information. Just tonight my 8 year old complained of sore nipples & said “they’re boney!” – it was like a grey cloud came over me! I got my first period days before my 11 birthday. My Mum was Lebanese & she had started hers at 9 and most of my cousins were aged between. 9-11. I hoped with my hubby’s Anglo background that my girls would start puberty later. We eat mostly organic foods & have a wholesome diet, minimise TV & exposure to adult themes, exercise, no microwave etc. My little girl is lean, healthy, active & happy & has absolutely no idea about puberty, sexual development etc. as someone who went through these changes early I would never wish it upon a young girl & the only comfort is that these days she won’t be alone! Thank you for teaching me about lavender oil and reminding me about the dangers of plastics (that have reappeared back in my cupboards in recent years) & household chemicals – a bit of a purge happening tomorrow!

The primary cause of early menarche is much simpler. Women ovulate with the light of the moon (full moon), and the use of night lights in girls rooms trick their bodies into thinking there have been more moons, and it’s time to start menarche.

Girls and women sleeping in total darkness is the answer to many hormonal issues.

I feel very fortunate that my girls started their periods at 14 and 16.
We lived a very natural lifestyle but so do lots of people whose girls start earlier.
One of my sisters started at age 10 and I know how that can be.
Now I have a grand daughter and I hope for the best for her and all of the young girls in the world. And for all of us:)

As a mom of 6 daughters (and now a granddaughter) I’ve been concerned for years about the hormonal disruption I think that’s happening in our society. For us, it seems that the less animal products our girls have consumed the later their menstruation began. We’ve always tried to eat predominantly organic but that doesn’t always happen. I think by avoiding the growth hormones (natural and added) from particularly cows has helped. The earliest any of our 4 menstruating dd has started was 10 (when we ate a less-cleaner diet) and the others were 11, 15 and 14 (in that order).

As someone who started her period later than most of my friends (I was 13, they started at 10 or 11 generally) I am curious about this subject but more so from the perspective of just how much external factors play into it and is there hard evidence that years ago (say 2k?) menstrual cycles always began later than they are now. I’m 30 now, and growing up did everything “wrong” – loads of hormone-laden milk at dinner every night, diet replete with HFCS, MSG etc, microwaved food in melting plastic, nothing natural at all from shampoos to toothpaste. I lived next door to my best friend, who got taller faster and hit puberty 3 years before I did, with very similar environment. But 13 was the age my mom started, and I believe her mom started then, too. My friend’s mom had her period start at a younger age, like her daughter. Perhaps there is something we are missing? Also, I am very curious as to how endocrine-system disruption from plastics and other factors have been proven to affect boys. (I have two sons.)

The pineal gland has a direct influence on production of estrogen, estrogen receptors, and onset of puberty. Basically, if there is high melatonin there will be lowered estrogen and estrogen receptors in girls (lowered testosterone in boys). High melatonin can delay puberty in both sexes, though that is a more likely factor in girls b/s females have 25% more melatonin than males. If melatonin is low, estrogen is high and estrogen receptors are in greater quantity (in boys, higher testosterone.)

Electro Magnetic Fields (thanks to modern technology) also tends to affect the pineal. And, like all the other glands, emotional factors also effect the functioning of this gland.

It is true that high estrogen is the more prominant problem in this era, but there are those who suffer from high melatonin / relatively low estrogen expression as well. It would be wise, before trying to reduce one’s estrogen, to be certain that that is the problem.

Hi Aviva, Thankyou so much for your knowledge and compassion on this subject. I have been a very worried mom for my 15 yo daughter. Being a long time lover of herbal medicine, nature and nutrition my children have grown up in a very healthy environment. In the past couple years my daughter has been concerned with her enlarged labia….so much so that she wanted me to take her to a surgeon to get them reduced. I have not taken either of my children to a conventional doctor except for an emergency so I was at a lost of what to do. Yes, she did start puberty earlier than most and had breasts at a young age. She also has acne that we have been able to partially eliminate through her diet. Recently I had her go to the local doctor here and the report was that yes she is larger than normal but not off the charts. The doctor also informed us that it is a good idea that she gets the cervical cancer vaccine(I don’t agree with this but would like to know more about it). She also recommended she go on birth control. The doctor recommended a ob/gyn surgeon for us to talk to but what I really want to know is is there anything she can do to reduce the size of her labia naturally with diet and herbs? The doctor had mentioned that this enlarged size is due partially to genetics(mine is slightly oversized too) and to increased estrogen in her body. I have been reading and studying(I am taking two herbal courses including yours and have been a community herbalist for years) about what to do but am at a bit of a lost right now. It is not a subject that is talked about openly so is a little difficult for us to find support on this…another reason why I am so grateful for you!!

Hi Aviva,
Very interesting timing on this article as I opened it yesterday and today had my 1 year old’s wellness check. I found out she has a labial adhesion (fully closed but her urethra is not blocked) and she was prescribed estrogen cream by our pediatrician. I started reading online about this condition and am hesitant to start the cream- especially after reading this post by you! Do you have any advice? I have read that flax oil can help. Thank you so much for sharing such important information!

Thank you again Dr. Aviva for your time and thought on such an important topic! It saddens me to think that no matter what we do to keep our own families a little safer from these hormonal problems, this trend is not going away. Our children and their children will be dealing with the effects on their relationships and families unless we can change laws, put pressure on companies to make safer healthier products and food, and continue spreading the word like crazy to anyone who might care to listen. My oldest is a 7.5 yr old boy who seems very much like a ‘little’ boy still (socially, emotionally, physically) and then I see some of the little girls in his 2nd grade class looking AND acting like pre-teens! Starting to worry about how my son will fare with the pressures, topics of discussions, and decisions facing him in the coming years because of this deepening mismatch between same age boys and girls. If that makes sense.

Whats also sad is that in an increasing number of urban neighborhoods, the poorest folks have no access to anything else but what’s offered at their local stores. In a neighborhood nearby me, an urban town has literally no grocery store. The closest thing to it is a trolley ride away to a shop n bag. Their choices are beyond limited. No wonder the black and latino populations of young girls are more at risk for early puberty.

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My 10yd old daughter changed overnight from a sweet baby to a mood swinging pre-teen with boobs! She’s grown a foot, has public hair, terrible acne and body order, greasy hair and crying spells.Worst is, she’s disrespectful and distant from me when we’ve always been so close. This can’t be normal. I suspect high Testosterone. Are there safe herbs for detoxing that Mom’s can use with pre-menstruating girls??? I have limited her sugar, grains and processed foods but I’d like to safely, gently help out her liver.

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Hi
my daughter is 9.5 and her breast buds started to grow 10 month ago she has some pubic and armpit hair she is shorter than her classmate which has been resulted from genetic (I’m a short person my height is 149 cm but when I was a young girl I had some growth hormone injections which means maybe I should be shorter than this height and my first period happened when I was 12.7 year ).I am very concerned for my daughter and want to know the best way to help her and delay her puberty and getting taller
Regards
Arsha

My daughter is 7, very active and slender. We eat mostly organic, use water filters, avoid plastic as much as we can and use natural products. My daughter developed breast buds and tests have revealed that she is in puberty and has the bones of an 11 year old. The scariest part of this for all of us is that without Lupron intervention, she will most likely stop growing in 2-3 years and barely reach 5 feet tall when her height potential is actually 5’10.” Most of the girls in her second grade class are showing signs of development and none of them are obese. I am alarmed about what is happening to our children.

My daughter (former 25 weaker, surviving twin) is now 8. She suffered a stroke the day after birth, and I was recently told by my daughter’s neurologist that the type of brain injury she had may cause early puberty. We were at a routine appointment with the neurologist (she monitors my daughters epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and adhd), and I had mentioned that she was having strong underarm odor even when not being active. The other day I noticed my daughter’s skin was a little oily, and she had a pimple on her chin. She has a very cheerful and sweet disposition, yet has been quite moody and grumpy lately. Today she told me her “chi chi’s” were hurting. I’m afraid she is getting ready to start her period already. I haven’t had any of “the talks” with her as of yet, I guess I wasn’t thinking this would come anytime soon. I didn’t start my period until I was 17, and my mother was in high school as well. Is there anything I can do to prevent early puberty, if it’s caused by a physical condition? (Her cp and epilepsy are very minor, almost not noticeable). Thanks for this article, the info is so very helpful!!

hi stacie,
wow, that’s a tough start to life to say the least. you must be a saint with all you’ve endured as a new momma — heart’s out to you. as for the early puberty, i suspect they think she may have suffered damage to the pituitary or hypothalamus — and if that is the case that may be quite hard to modify with lifestyle or diet — though the detox support might be quite helpful. seeing a functional medicine doc locally would probably be your best bet to get her the most personalized care possible. very best wishes. aviva

Can hitting puberty at 9 in some girls cause a lot of female problems me an my 23 yr old daughter have had female problems since we hit puberty both of us had irregular periods going from going without one for months at a time or having spotting to excessive bleeding mine became regular after she was born but the trade off was i ended up with 5 in total cysts on my ovaries uterus an tubes the cysts had to be removed when i was 23 my periods stayed regular my daughters path has been the same as mine from puberty to now i was just wondering if all of it has been caused from us hitting puberty at 9 as i got older an had 3 more children my periods became heavier till my last one an i couldnt stop so i ended up with having to have a hysterectomy im just worried if our problems were caused because we hit puberty at 9 could the same happen to my 2 youngest daughters right now their just 2 an 3 yrs old is it possible thanks an god bless

I have a concern my daughter is 7 and has signs already early puberty. I had my menstruation when 9 yrs old and her father been diagnosed with Adrenal Adenoma and Pituitary Adenoma..I am concern for my 8 yr old son has well..
Any help you can give me I would I appreciate.

Hello Aviva, thanks for this informative article. I would really like you to comment on my situation. My girl is going to be 7 in 2 months. She is an active girl, a little overweight (she’s 30 kgs), and very innocent and sweet. Around 6 months back, I noticed a little underarm hair on her, no body odour. Her breasts also seem a little budding, but that could be fat also. There is no tenderness in her buds, & no pubic hair. Do you think I have a reason for concern? Please reply, I am a very very worried mother. I started my periods when I was around 13, & 6 or 7 is a really really early age to start changes.. Worried!!

Hi Aviva,
I am also noticing slight hair on my daughter’s underarm. She is 7. Not overweight. Active. We eat and drink organic food only. I make all our soaps and lotions using essential oils at home. Her insect repellent lotion (used everyday) contains citronella and lemongrass oils.

If I start using flaxseed and start doing yoga exercises to activate the pineal glands, can i stop this unwanted progress?

I feel sorry for these girls nowdays with early and overdeveloped breasts. I can relate. I grew 38 size breast when I was 9 and I was upset that I needed a bra because the rest of my female classmates were still flat chested. I am currently a 42 size bust and I still get envious and teased about it by women older than me who are more petite than me. I don’t like my breast size but have handled it better than most with my size.Cathy

I appreciate your website. What was unusual when I was growing up is normal today. Girls growing bosoms at ages 7 and 8. I grew mine when I was 8 starting at a 38 size and growing to a 44 at age 11. I didn’t like being large bosomy when everybody else in my class and ahead of me at School were still flat chested. I got teased at School for being the youngest girl with the biggest tits. Even my mom was surpised and even showed delight that I grew them early. My mom never had anything larger than a 32 size bosom and said she didn’t grow hers til she was 12.Marcy

That really isn’t new. I developed large at age 8 growing up in the 1960s. There’s just more of it today and more is being done for early treatment than in my days growing up. At age 8 I was the youngest to grow tits and had the largest in School and in the neighborhood than the rest of the older girls.Marcy

My mother in law asked me how old I was when I grew my tits and I told her . That’s when she said she was glad she didn’t grow hers that early. She didn’t tell me how old she was even I asked. I thought was only fare. She called me the tits of her in laws. She and her daughter in laws don’t like large breast but are glad that I’ve got ’em just the same. Why would anyone want to treat her own daughter in law that way? I don’t like large either and being teased about it makes me that much more envious of any women being more petite than me.Cathy

I had the same relationship with my older sisters. My tease me for being younger than them and more busty than them and for developing breasts at an earlier age than them. My sisters have their girlfriend and boyfriends make light of it to me about my having larger breasts them.Karin

December 2013, I started noticing my daughters changing breasts. It was so slight I really thought I was seeing things. By January, it was clear they were getting bigger. She was 7 at the time, so I called the pediatrician, who told me not to be alarmed and we could discuss it at her wellness in March. I spoke to relatives and friends, all of which shared their own stories and seemed to be okay with the “new norm”. The females in my family and my husbands did not get their period until 13 or later, so clearly this was not the norm genetically. I spent endless hours researching and went completely organic. I was not 100% organic before, probably 50%:-). We switched soaps, shampoo’s, detergents to healthier options. This may sound odd, but after starting these changes I wanted to know if it was working, so I literally felt my daughters breasts once a week to see if there were any changes. (Don’t worry, I explained to my daughter that the changes happening are normal changes, but it seemed early and that is why mommy wants to monitor things. I always kept it brief and professional) Over the course of 4 weeks, after being in control of every morsel that goes into my daughters mouth her breast buds shrunk from the size of a quarter, to a nickel, dime, pea and gone. I was shocked! And at the same time, overjoyed that I actually had some control over what was happening. I think it was a blessing in disguise; a real eye opener to what is going on in our bodies internally but have no idea.
We continue to be 100% organic and I continue to strive to make healthier choices to improve the environment where my family lives.

Hi,
This is very informational, Can you please suggest the healthier versions of soaps, shampoos and detergents you used. And what food changes did you make? My 8 year old daughter is into puberty. I want to make all the changes.

A very sincere question: Environmental Working group is referenced several times here. Ive explored their resources, glad to have found a clearing house for such valuable info -and was disappointed to see for example footnotes referring to the CDC, but then when exploring the CDC site to expand my knowledge, no reference at all to the topic EWR mentioned. Does anyone here have any direct knowledge of EWG? Aviva? Id love to be able to have confidence in them

i have a question about water. you say get glass bottles, which is fine, i use metal ones for my kids, since they’re small and throw them quite a bit. but where is the water originally to come from? is it to be filtered, but then the water still retains fluoride, unless we use the filter that remove everything, including the good stuff. is it OK to use bpa free big bottles from a water delivery service? what is a safe and convenient, after all, it does need to be convenient, otherwise it wont work long term, source of water.

Hi Inna,
Yes, glass or stainless steel – both are equally good.
As for BPA free water bottles — the data coming out on BPS and other substitutes is no more promising than the BPA. So I’d use a filter on house water since it’s probably no better or worse and is less expensive. I know this is a challenging issue — hard to avoid some chemical exposure no matter what if we’re not on a well or spring — and even then there are the pipes, run off…Sounds like you’re doing a great job thinking about the important things! Best, Aviva

What about the role of sexuality everywhere from marketing to media? Is it possible that scientists could find a correlation between all of the sexual images more prevalent today and earlier onsets of puberty?

I don’t know that this has been studied, but it’s an interesting correlate — does making girls more mentally over sexualized lead to physical changes. It’s definitely not a healthy thing for them mentally! I just went to see Frozen on Ice with my grandaughter and it struck me that these little girls were already being programmed to find a mate as their primary goal in life! ~AR

I just love you more and more. I think this issue is SOOO important and I love that you are bringing it up now in light of V-Day.
I went through puberty at age 11 and I was the first and only girl in my 5th grade class to do so – it was HORRIBLE!!!! like, literally horrible. i don’t wish that on anyone. thank you for talking about this issue

You left out a very important contributing factor…dairy. There are more reproductive system distupting hormones in dairy than many of the items you listed above. Ditch the dairy. Not only is it a terrible industry that exploits the female reproductive system, it poisons our children daily with their pus, hormone, and pesticide laden produc; it poisons our minds in convincing us we need it for calcium and protein. Please read up on this. You will be doing your daughters a huge disservice if you don’t.

Does that include all dairy? My daughter loves plain greek yogurt. I try to get an organic brand but sometimes I can only find Fage or Chobani, which are rgbh free. Yogurt and sour cream are the main dairy sources that she consumes. She is almost 7 and has lived an almost entirely organic lifestyle. She was breastfed for 2 years , nine months (never drank formula or milk as a baby or toddler) and hasn’t eaten any meat for the last two years. We have also always used all natural, chemical free skin care products, from soaps, shampoos, lotions and sunscreens. I used organic cotton re-usable diapers or natural unbleached disposables. Organic cotton clothes, linens and a chemical/flame retardant free mattress. I try to do everything right but I am concerned because she does have some pubic hair which I initially noticed about 1 year ago. At the time I thought it was strange, but it was just one so I ignored it. Not there are several hairs on each side, there aren’t any in front where she can see them and doesn’t know about the ones on her labia. Is is normal for young girls to have some pubic hair?

Sounds like you are doing an amazing job! Yes, it does include all dairy. 7 years old is quite young for pubic hair development…I’d definitely see a local pediatrician to keep an eye on bone growth if she shows more signs of puberty.

The only dairy we get is raw, organic and local, we have to know that the cow or goat is never given any type of drugs, grains or soy. Some argue that dairy is still bad, and that is fine, but if you’re going to do dairy at all, make it as natural as possible, and that definitely means nothing that is not certified organic from the store, at the very least.

Hi Aviva,
my 8yr old daughter is aproching puberty and the doctor has suggested to stop with some shots. we are very concerened about this. my wife is going into panic attacks thinking about the 8yr going thru period. Should we go with the injection? The endocrinologist told us that my daughter’s bone growth is al most us a 12 yr old. She is going through breast developement and lots of hair on her arms , legs, pubic area etc.
We are at a loss on what to do .
Please help

My daughter is8 and a quarter and a year ago, developed some pain in the left breast. Took her to the ped endo who said it was a breast bud. Estradiol was 14.3 and bone age was 6 months below so we didn’t worry much and miraculously the left breast went from tanner stage 2 to stage 1

Now exactly a year later, the same pain returns on the right breast and she has a breast bud on the right.
Estradiol this time is 23.7

My little one is very petite and is about 57 lbs. She is exactly on the 50th percentile for height and weight. I keep her physically very active and we rarely eat junk food or processed food. Milk is organic and is limited to 2 small glasses a day.

I would not like to use Lupron for her and mess with her hormones. Once the estradiol is raised, is there a natural way to bring it down? I have read somewhere that the sun salutation in yoga is helpful and I make her do that along with some meditation every day.

I have not read all of the comments but I have to say I think the premise is not complete and a little misleading. My daughter just turned 8 and I noticed breast buds. She is NOT overweight. We eat only organic grass fed meet. She no longer drinks milk but drank only organic milk after a year old. Before that she was exclusively breast fed. We use no plastic. Never had. She meets NONE of these factors. Oh, and I didn’t start my period until I was 13. What other chemicals are there? I’ll be following a long.

My daughter just turned 10. Want to know what I can do to delay her periods. She didn’t get it yet but still concerned. I got mine when I was 14 … so if i can delay that would be good. She already has pubic and armpit hair … please help. Thanks.

Hi there, Well, 10 is not soon early, and if she’s already developing hair it might be hard to prevent. But good diet, avoiding excess environmental plastics, etc can be helpful in general. Enjoy the tweens! 🙂

Hello Mis Aviva, you look like a woman that knows what she is talking about. Me my self Iam not that well educated in the female department , but it so hapend that I married one and now I have two great girls one is 7 and the other one is turning 3 in august. Like maybe all dads I dont want my girls to grow up….but they will some day …I just dont want it to be so fast, last month some one told me to feed my girls only organic chicken because the hormones none organic chicken had made there menstral cycle come alot quicker … So I started buying only organic chicken but didnt know milk , plastics and everything else you talk about also plays a factor in this. What do you recommend me to? What are the main things to drop ?I dont feed my girls any fast food ,they only eat home made food, but know Iam reading that even milk is bad, what milk should I give my girls,, Almond?I have a water softner system in my house with a purifing system for our drinking water is this good drinking water for my girls or do I need to do something else?What are the basic or more drastic things I should avoid for my two girls? Sometimes we want to give them everything but maybe we are doing them wrong….thankyou for all your commets ,,god bless you and all your family!!

Thank you for this article, it is a great thing to talk to our families about. I also recall an interesting perspective that I believe I read in Time Magazine several years back, about the sexualization of our younger population, exposure to porn, TV commercials that use sex to sell their products, the style of clothing they wear and are told are fashionable and many other subliminal things we are all exposed to on a daily basis. Standing in line at the grocery store can give us an inappropriate dose of sex. with the Tabloids….its everywhere. Anyway, I found the article to be something to ponder. Don’t quote me on Time, it could have been News Week as well.

My son has just been diagnosed with precocious puberty. Dr’s want me to put him on Lupron, I’ve reviewed many sites and other treatment meds, I don’t want to do it, they’re trying to convince me its the best thing. Based on my readings, I disagree. These medications didn’t exist decades ago, and we all got alone great, I rather my boy be short and healthy than taller an unhealthy. I don’t see height is worth the risk, height (predicted height is to be 5.5 at this point) is not a life and death factor.

According to the dr. as a result of the early onset of puberty his bone age is 1.5 year older than he is. Medication will stop the hormone (pituitary gland) from being active, and allow his body to catch up with his bone age with respect to growth. This way he can reach fuller height potential.

Would you kindly recommend any natural remedies to possibly slow down his hormone development?

Aviva:
I have been alert to this issue for years, since my daughter was newborn really! We’ve never eaten much meat and only hormone free, I have been careful to make sure dairy is basically hormone free and she’s never really drunk much milk (we can’t afford organic)–I’ve avoided BPA and plastics like the plague for years. I didn’t know about lavendar oil, will no longer use as soothing bathtime essential oil. But over the past year–daughter is 9.5–I have noticed 1) public hairs that seemed to disappear; an occasional body odor (twice noticed); and last night I noticed some underarm hair! And maybe some breast buds, not sure on that. Aaaah! So my question–can I still put in place some delaying tactics? I didn’t experience menarche until age 14; I’d love hers to delay at least a few more years. You recommend 2 T ground flax and daily amounts of leafy greens–she loves greens and we have a big garden so that’s good. Not sure how to get the flax down her, she hates smoothies. I’ll cut dairy back even further. I make most of our bread, we don’t really eat any processed foods, so virtually no exposure to soy. She is active and lean but I’m thinking of running with her 3-4 times a week. Is there anything else, supplements or environment-wise, we can do? I have always been really careful about soaps, shampoos, we make our own laundry detergent, have no artificial scent in the house…Thanks!

Aviva:
What would be your top five ways of reducing estrogen in a little girl’s body? My nine-year old shows some signs of early puberty, IMO . We are on a tight budget and although as a result eat very little processed food, we can’t afford organic dairy (though I always buy rBGH-free dairy). She hasn’t ever eaten/drunk much dairy though. We don’t eat a lot of meat either and almost all organic there. She’s homeschooled and we’re a low media family (not much tv, no computer or screen time). She plays soccer and swims, in rec leagues. I didn’t know about lavender, we had been occasionally using as a bathtime relaxation oil. I could do better with natural shampoos but we make our own laundry soap, use virtually no cosmetics…I’ve read here flax seed and leafy greens? Other recommendations? I didn’t experience menarche until age 14, would really love to delay it for her as well.

You actually make it appear so easy along with your presentation but I find this topic to be actually something which I feel I’d never understand.
It seems too complicated and very vast for me. I am looking
ahead for your next put up, I’ll try to get the hang of it!

Hello, this is Megan from Dr. Aviva’s team, Thanks for your response, and we know this topic can be overwhelming. Dr. Aviva suggests digesting one piece of the information at a time. It can take time, but you will get the hang of it! A good place to start is focusing on best ways to reduce the toxic load that we have control over, like what cleaning products we use, or any cosmetic products our kids may be exposed to or plastics in our kitchen. Stay tuned for more, and if you are wanting a to take a deeper dive please come join Dr. Romm in the Healthy All Year program where She provides a step by step guide into keeping your kids healthy all year!!

Hello, I noticed that early prevention was left out of this. Such as formula fed babies being more likely to start puberty early versus kids who were exclusively breastfed as babies. Babies exposed to synthetic versions of hormones at birth (pitocin) have hormone disruption to some extent for life. Medical tubing is made of PVC plastic (contains phthalates, heavy metals and other chemicals) that are hormone disrupting and when the mother is in labor and given anything via this tubing, she and her baby get the chemicals as well. Antibiotics alter the gut flora which can lead to obesity, and antibiotics should be avoided in pregnancy through childhood at all costs. Glyphosate/Roundup and other yard/garden/agri chemicals are also endocrine disruptors, and it is highly advisable to keep a natural, chemical free yard and garden, and stay away from sprayed yards, fields etc. Of course eating only organic food, eating food that was packaged in glass containers, many paper and cardboard products have been found to be high in BPA as well as other chemicals, and it is advisable to use only cloth napkins, paper towels, cloth diapers, menstrual products, etc. Natural menstrual products are very important, look at Pink Lemonade Shop cloth pads, and/or menstrual cups.

Hello, my daughter is 5 years old and breasts started developing and growing hairs on her legs and height also increased and weight seems to be 7 years old girl weight. please mail me what shall I do?…Please help me

This is Megan from Dr. Aviva’s team. Dr. Romm hears your concern and please know there is so much that you can do to, the steps that Dr. Romm lists in her article are a good place to start and here is a direct link to an article that Aviva wrote that speaks to the many benefits of working with food and an elimination diet http://avivaromm.wpengine.com/elimination-diet. Decreasing systemic estrogen and any exposures (ie BPA in plastics) would also be a good first step. I hope this helps.

I started developing hips at 8, body odor at 9, breasts at 10, body hair at 11 and I got my period four months after I turned 12. My speaking and singing voice got deeper when I was 13. I was very tall for my age, hitting five feet tall in the fourth grade and 5’6″ in the 7th grade. I’m now 5’9″. My speaking voice is fairly deep, but I sing soprano. I think some of the reports we see are misleading because they don’t take genetics into account. My mom started hers when she was 11. My grandmother started in her teens (she was developmentally delayed) and my great grandmother started in her late teens (this was in the late 20s). I think 12-13 is a good age to start. I wouldn’t want to be 15-16 and just then getting my period. I think its good to push organic foods, nix the soda and non-organic milk, watch out for plastics, avoid soy, push kids to be physically active and be careful about parabens, endocrine disruptors and other stuff. However, sometimes a person can do everything on the list and their daughter still start at 11 or earlier. I am interested in natural forms of birth control and ways to turn off fertility. I do not want kids ever and would get a radical hysterectomy now if I could (I’m 32). Thoughts?

One thing a mom can do. Is to limit the amount of soy based products that one’s daughter(s) consume from infant and older.
After my girl started to show signs at six. I removed as much of the soy out of our home here. Her rush into full puberty slowed down by quite a bit.

Hi
I am interested to find out if squeezy pouches (baby food, applesauce, etc) have “plastic” in them. I am strictly organic, breast fed my daughter, watch everything pretty closely. I buy her TONS of these products but they are organic…..but then does this packaging contaminate her with endocrine disruptors? This is criminal, FDA should put a stop to the uses of ANY endocrine disruptors in our food packaging. I need help with this. My seven year old daughter is getting breast buds and I am extrememly worried about this. What packaging is safe (other than glass)?

I grew 38 size breast at 8 and went up to 48 by the time I was 12. My okder sisters grew their breasts at 12 and never got larger than a 34 size. Nobody in my family or relation got any larger than that. I grew mine(breasts) the earliest in the relation.Karin

So here is my experience. I have 6 daughters, 5 of them have regular periods. Of the 5, 1 is allergic to milk but she occasionally consumed dairy products as a child (started menstruation at 16). Two are lactose intolerant and rarely consume any dairy products (started menstruation at 18). 1 is a milk drinker but when she was younger I only purchased organic milk (started menstruation at 16) . The last one started at 13 but she has severe eczema and has always been on some sort of steroid cream. The 14 year old has not started menstruating yet, she is also allergic to milk. I have always wondered if our unusual relationship with milk products has something to do with their delayed periods.